Out with the old In with the
by NickyStokes
Summary: A New Years Eve Party that starts out beautifully but ends....well we'll have to see where this story takes us.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own CSI or any part of the cast, production or show. If I did we would all be attending a party in Vegas or California and I would have a secretary to write my stories.

It was supposed to be one hell of a New Years Eve Party. A luxury dinner cruise on Lake Meade set up by the citizens of Las Vegas and some unnamed Multimillionaires for theLas VegasPolice and Fire departments and also the Crime Scene Investigation Unit. It was the end ofone year, 'out with the old, in with the new" and the start of another and the powers that be decided against the usual boring black tie affair in one of the local casinos. It has been the talk around the unit for weeks, each person exchanging the usual pleasantries and the questions "Are you going to the New Years Party and Who you asking?"

In the end, the unit decided to go together. Warrick was bringing his new wife Tina, Nick was flying solo along with Catherine, Grissom and Sara. They decided to meet outside the Luxor Hotel and take one vehicle for the event.

They all knew Conrad Ecklie would make his usual grand appearance and were hoping to be on their second or their drinks by the time he arrived.

Catherine looked stunning in the emerald green ¾ length dress she chose for the occasion and the matching shoes and earrings looked striking against her creamy skin. Warrick wore a black tuxedo with a burgundy cumber bun that matched the dress that Tina had chosen. Grissom wore a simple black tux and Catherine was the one that had to help him fix his tie "Thank God I had years of practice with these" she fussed at the ends of the material getting it just right. "Nicky who the hell tied yours its perfect?" she turned to look at Nick who looked very dapper in his Armani Tuxedo. "Thank you Catherine, I had many black tie dinners to attend what with my father and everything" he stood beside his co-workers and checked his watch for the fourth or fifth time. "Sara did say she was meeting us here right?" he looked a little nervous.

Grissom stepped forward and stood beside Nick "Yes she was picking Greg up and then meeting us here then you have to figure about an hour at least to get to Lake Meade" he checked his watch "taking into account traffic, the lights change one an average of….." everyone rolling their eyes finally shut him up. He stepped back beside Catherine, stuffed his hands in his pants pocket and shrugged. "She'll be here Nicky" she touched his shoulder and smiled "She was actually looking forward to spending an evening with friends" she looked up and down the strip and saw people of all ethnicities walking around from Casino to Casino. She had to laugh at the changes that had been made to the city from the time she first got off the bus from New York…The glitz and the glitter was never ending as old buildings and casinos were torn down and new ones took their places.

"If you weren't fusing about your damned hair Greg" she pressed her foot on the accelerator and yelled at him for the fiftieth time that evening "If they leave without us I'm going to kill you" she saw Greg still trying to make his usually unruly hair behave itself "You never seemed to worry about this before.." he turned to her "I was a lab rat Sara, now I'm a CSI and I want to look professional is there anything wrong with a little change?" he looked offended. "Greg you're fine the way you were, too much change…." Greg turned and looked at her "You should talk Sidle!" he turned sideways to face her "Look at you." He pointed to her "You never wear that much make up, nor have I ever seen your hair so done up!" she pulled the visor down "I have on too much makeup? Do I look that bad?" she started to panic and Greg quickly realized his mistake "No, you look great, you look terrific but it's a change" he smiled "A change for the good but it's a change" he shook his head and hoped Sara would calm down before they got to the hotel.

The Denali stopped at the curb only 15 minutes later than she had originally planned thanks to some quick maneuvering between yellow lights. Greg was almost grateful to finally be standing still. He got out of the passenger side and slipped into the third row of seats along with Grissom. Warrick, Tina and Catherine got into the back seat and Sara got out and switched with Nick who was taking over driving duties. "Hey Sa…" he could not get his mouth to work and everyone covered their mouths as they took in the sight of Nicky at a loss for words. The dress Sara had chose was an off the shoulder red sequin number that left little to the imagination starting at the low cut across the cleavage area. "You look phenomenal" he swallowed hard then reached out a hand to touch her "I love the hair as well" he smiled, took her hand and helped her into the front seat, closed the door and stood there a moment longer than necessary taking in the sight before him. He slid into the front seat, adjusted the mirror and smiled at her once again before driving off for what he hoped was the New Years party of his life.


	2. Chapter 2

Unfortunately, I don't own any part of CSI or Nick would be mine…or at least George. I'm just borrowing them because they're so darn interesting…….

They parked at the dock and the ladies were awestruck at the sight of the beautiful Paddle wheeled Steamer sitting before them. "Oh this is certainly going to be a night to remember" Sara smiled at Nick who was standing beside her. "I didn't even know they had anything like this on Lake Mead" he looked around and noticed that Grissom and Catherine were talking in whispered tones. "Did you see the way he looked at her?" Grissom nodded but didn't have much to add. It wasn't a big surprise that Nick had feelings for Sara but it hit Grissom hard that she was beginning to openly display affection for the younger CSI. "They'd make one beautiful couple" She added not noticing the way that Gil blanched at the thought "Tina and Ric certainly look happy tonight" she noticed the way Ric stood beside his wife but a part of her felt the same way Gil did about Sara and Nick "I honestly can't get a read on them Catherine" he turned and looked around "Sometimes I get the feeling Ric rushed into this and has regrets and others, like now I just don't know" Catherine looked up at Gil "I got the same feeling" she smiled which wasn't missed by her co-worker "Do you now?" he asked in a very inquisitive tone. Catherine chose to ignore is intentions.

"Well well" They all cringed when they heard the familiar and irritating voice of Conrad Ecklie "If it isn't my two favorite CSI teams" he walked toward them with open arms followed closely by the Mayor and several of his constituents "How lovely of all of you to be able to take a night and join us" Grissom motioned to his cell phone "We're on call if needed" Ecklie looked wounded "Gil, I want you all to enjoy this evening, it's our taxpayers that felt we all deserved it for a job well done!" he smiled warmly reached over "Catherine, love the dress, it simply looks stunning on you" he pecked her on the cheek and Catherine suddenly felt she needed a bath. "Sara Sidle, my you sure do clean up well" Nick turned toward him and the look he shot him kept Conrad form further advancing "Nick, you're looking fit and well and Warrick I take it this is the lovely bride we've all heard so much about?" Tina turned and offered her hand but the look in her eye told Ric that Conrad's statement had better have some clarification. "Tina, our boss Conrad Ecklie, Conrad this is my wife Tina Brown" he looked past her toward Catherine and the moment their eyes met, she blushed slightly wishing it was his hand on the small of her back as opposed to the tall and slender woman beside him.

The boarded the Cruise boat and were each handed a glass of champagne "I'll need something stronger than this before the evening is over" Nick turned, toasted his friends then sipped at the bitter liquid "They didn't spare the expense on this one" Warrick quickly emptied his glass and handed it back to one of the waiters. "No thanks, I'm watching my waistline" Tina refused the offer of another glass "Besides someone has to be the designated driver" no one quite knew how to take that statement and for the moment they chose to ignore it.

Before long the boat filled with the invitees and the Captain came down to greet everyone. "I'm Captain Merlin and I'd like to welcome you to my ship" he smiled and raised a glass of Champagne "I hope you'll have an enjoyable evening of dining, dancing and celebrating the arrival of another New Year" he nodded "And a personal thank you to all of you for a job well done, the taxpayers of Las Vegas owe a huge debt of gratitude to all of you" they all raised their glasses to the toast. Before long the ship was underway and everyone moved to different areas to get a good look around. If anyone had noticed anything out of place, the person standing alone at the bow of the ship certainly hadn't ascertained that and with a wave to those waiting on shore he lifted his wrist, synchronized his watch, flipped his flashlight on and off twice then disappeared into the shadow of the Cruise ship….

The fifteen people dressed in black from head to two silently moved to their water crafts and waited, the leader returned the wave but held off on the flash as not to draw suspicion to them. Their time would come later, they simply sat in wait for the signal from the man on board…

To Be Continued….

Please go easy on me….this is my first CSI fan fiction…I hope you enjoy it and please…reviews are greatly appreciated, even thought I didn't ask in Chapter One…


	3. Chapter 3

Sara walked around the deck, beer in hand looking over the railing at the twinkling lights of Downtown Las Vegas. Her mind was a million miles away so she wasn't aware of anyone closely watching her in the growing darkness. Gil stood back, hands tucked into the pockets of his tux and was about to walk up to her when Conrad Ecklie grabbed him by the arm "Grissom, come the Mayor is looking for you" he tried to lead the older man away but Grissom stopped "Ecklie, kissing ass it your department, mine is the Crime Lab, can't you do enough smoozing for the both of us?" his tone was level but Ecklie turned to look toward where Sara was still blissfully unaware of their presence. "Now Gil, the Mayor wants to introduce you to some very important people…" he coughed lightly and Grissom had the urge to swat him on the back "you know, the new budget comes out in only three months and it could mean the difference between some new badly needed equipment or simply slogging by on some of the antiquated things that really have seen better days" Gil shook his head "We're the number two crime lab in the country, I think that says a lot for the equipment" he found himself moving in step with Ecklie "And the people" Ecklie threw in for good measure "Yes, and the people" he quickly agreed and I for one would like to see my people who earn promotions not get passed over because someone higher up thinks we can use another gadget for the lab" Ecklie nodded in agreement but Grissom wondered if he even heard him. "Yes, I fully agree but you know Gil" he tried to look apologetic "Sometimes difficult decisions have to be made, you as well as I know that" he kept nodding and Grissom was reminded of one of those dogs in the back window of some 69 Cadillac

Nick was leaning against the bar already on his second scotch when Warrick walked up to him "Hey, going solo all night?" he leaned against the hand rubbed oak and motioned to the bartender "I'll have what he's having" Tina who tagged closely behind gave him a cutting glance "and get the lady whatever she wants" he acted like Tina was just an afterthought. Nick didn't miss the coldness that seemed to settle between them. "I've been looking for Sara but she seems to have done a vanishing act" he sipped at the amber liquid "At least they didn't water down the scotch" he laughed and Ric joined him "Yeah but this is little shindig is gonna cost someone a promotion" he winced as the words left his mouth "Hey, it's okay like I told Sara at it was an honor simply being nominated for the position" Tina took that moment to slide in between Nick and Warrick "Are you two planning on talking shop all evening?" Ric held his tongue but took a larger gulp of his drink "That's what happens at these parties Honey!" he looked over her head toward the doorway "that and a lot of ass kissing" he nodded toward where Ecklie and Grissom had just made their appearance. "Ya got that right" Nick laughed.

Catherine was walking into the ballroom and saw Grissom being strong armed into meeting with the Mayor and his cronies., she thought better and turned to make her escape then spied Sara standing along at the railing "Hey" she waved slightly then walked over to her co-worker "How's it going?" Sara took a swig of her beer and smiled "Great if you like these kinds of things" she seemed in a queer mood and Catherine wondered if she'd seen Grissom walking back from the deck "Why not try to have some fun tonight, it's on the taxpayers" she laughed as the evening breeze gently caressed her hair. "Yeah, make the best out of a bad situation?" she chuckles "Hey, you got one sexy guy in there, waiting for a dance" Catherine leaned her back against the railing "Come on Catherine, Grissom dance?" Catherine shook her head "Wasn't talking about Gil" she saw the shocked look on Sara's face "Nick?" Cath nodded "Yeah, Nick" she was surprised that Sara was oblivious to the fact that everyone else seemed to notice the crush he had on her. "Why would Nick want to dance with me?" she turned, finished the beer and balanced it on the railing "does everyone know something I don't?" Greg picked that very moment to join the conversation "A blind man would know Sara" he laughed as Sara looked from him to Catherine "You're kidding right?" none of them noticed anyone coming upon them "Nick and …" She looked up and caught a glimpse of black/brown eyes staring at her over Catherine's shoulder "Nick and who?" he looked between the three of them waiting for an answer. "Gotta get a drink" Greg looked really guilty "I'll join you, Grissom should be free by now" Catherine laced her arm thru Greg's and the two hurried away "Nick and who?" he turned, hands in pockets then turned back to Sara "How about you, planning on making a hasty retreat?" he was beginning to wonder if they hadn't been talking about his kidnapping. "No…I'm not going anywhere" she leaned back against the railing and felt his gaze boring into her "So….who they fixing me up with this week?" he leaned a hip against the railing but moved closer to her "Funny thing" she muttered "They seem to think, you and" she looked up and wondered why she never realized how truly handsome he really was. Lines that would have marred another man's face only made his smile so much more appealing, the dimples, the mega watt smile and those incredible piercing eyes "Who Sara?" his voice came out a mere whisper "You and me?" she stopped to gauge his reaction then slowly nodded "Yeah kind of funny isn't it?" Nick took a deep breath "Would it be?" he waited for the question to sink in. "No…come to think of it, no it wouldn't be funny" she turned to face him as he took one more step forward "Would it be awkward?" she smelled his aftershave and breath mint "A little…" he moved closer and gently touched her cheek "I've wanted to do this for a long time" he gently dipped his head and ever so slightly brushed his lips against hers then looked into her eyes waiting for some sign to progress or step back "How long?" she blinked then brought her lips to his "Since the first time you flirted with me, your second day in Vegas" her eyes shot open "I did not flirt with you!" she pouted and he leaned in and kissed her "Yes you did" he shot back "No I did…….." but his mouth covered hers and she was forced into silence………


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you to those that have offered reviews…they're what keeps us trying.

Thank you for pointing out that you 'cannot see the lights of the strip' from Lake Meade, it was the 'missing link' I needed

To link the events that are coming up.

As usual, I don't own CSI, any part of it..though I could think of 'one' part I would like to own…..hope you all enjoy..

Nick thought he had died and gone to Heaven. One minute he had slowly moved in for a brief kiss, all the while afraid that Sara would push him away and the next, she was kissing him back, just as hard and demanding and one could ever hope for. "Ummm Nick" she pulled away slowly, the hairs on the back of her neck giving her a warning sensation. "Not now Sar…" he moaned and tried to pull her back into the kiss but he felt her arch away. "Something's not right" she whispered staying locked in his arms but looking slowly around. Nick tried to discern what if anything was out of the ordinary but the blackness of the surrounding mountains and water made that almost impossible. He knew from five years of working with her that Sara had a gut instinct for trouble and he didn't dismiss her feelings lightly. "Maybe it's nothing?" oh how he hoped it was but Sara was sure that something was amiss.

Catherine had somehow managed to wrestle Grissom away from the clutches of Conrad Ecklie and both were standing off to the side of the stage in the Grand Ballroom as the Mayor made his way up to the podium. "Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen" he took over the microphone. "I'd like to welcome all of you to the festivities and take a moment to tell you what a fine group of men and women we have assembled here" Grissom took a sip from the drink Catherine had handed him "And now for some more ass kissing good times" he mumbled but Cath quickly tuned into his words and snickered "He's calling you up there ya know?" she laughed "Nope, Gil Grissom doesn't do speeches" he shot back as he noticed Warrick joining them "I'll take 10.00 on Catherine" he laughed. "You so have a gambling problem Ric" he teased, both were surprised that he was making a joke. The Mayor continued "I would like to thank the Las Vegas Police Department for keeping crime down in our great city" he raised his glass "The Fire Department for keeping our citizens and many visitors safe and a special thank you goes to Gil Grissom, Catherine Willows and Conrad Ecklie for keeping the Las Vegas Crime Lab for keeping our department number two in the country" he toasted them again. "There are many people to thank that are behind the scenes of our Crime Lab so I'll leave that to Gil Grissom" he heard the applause and turned just in time to see Catherine handing Warrick a ten dollar bill. "I guess the great Gil Grissom does speeches" Warrick winked and pocketed the money.

Grissom blushed as he and Ecklie walked to the podium "I'd like to introduce my Supervisor Conrad Ecklie" he spewed into the microphone but unfortunately, he wasn't quick enough to step away as Ecklie locked arms and said "Not so fast Grissom, no quick exits this time" which got a laugh from the crowd., many of them knowing how Grissom shied away from the limelight at every opportunity. "The people of Las Vegas would like to hear from you" he backed away giving Gil a slight shove forward and then proceeded to rejoin the crowd in clapping.

"Thank you, thank you" he raised his arms and thought of many politicians while looking to Catherine to rescue him. She simply waved in his direction. Nick and Sara along with Greg had joined Catherine in the crowd and none seemed to notice nor respond when he announced their names "I'd personally like to thank my team, Catherine Willows, Sara Sidle, Warrick Brown, Nick Stokes and our newest CSI Greg Sanders" he put his hand out in their direction but they were deep in conversation and he wondered what was so interesting that they were ignoring him.

"I swear, I can't put my finger on it, I was looking out over the water earlier at the …" her eyes suddenly flew open "that's it, you can't see them from here" she rushed out of the ballroom with Catherine, Nick and Warrick close behind. Greg looked up in Gil's direction and shrugged before turning to follow them. "Sara…Sara wait up" Warrick was closest to her "what's gotten into you girl?" he shouted. She waived him off till she got nearer to the railing then turned to Nick "I thought I saw lights, ya know…" he was catching on "earlier when we were kiss…" she stopped. Nick blushed but the darkness hid it well. Catherine and Warrick exchanged glances but said nothing. "Anyway.." Sara looked around getting the eerie feeling once again "I saw a whole hell of a lot of lights and thought they were from the Strip" she lowered her voice "You can't see them from here" Greg interjected from behind them. "That's right, so what exactly were they?" she had them all looking around at the horizon. "I don't know" Catherine looked at the rest of the team "but whatever it was, it's not supposed to be here." She cast a worried glance at them.

By now, Grissom had made his excuses and came to join them, a little bent out of shape that they'd left him alone on the Podium. "Someone mind telling me what's going on?" he shot them all puzzled looks. "Sara aw something earlier, on the horizon, she thought it was the lights from the Strip" Grissom cut them off "That's impossible!" but they quickly spoke in unison "We know, you can't see them from here…"

That was when the first shot rang out…..


	5. Chapter 5

Once again I do not own Nick, Grissom or anyone from CSI, I'm just borrowing them on a snowy night. Warning that there are a couple 'words' that may not be appropriate for everyone but hey, it's a story and they needed to be said. That said…please enjoy!

"What the hell" Warrick grabbed Catherine and dragged her down toward the deck, Nick doing the same with Sara whispered "Where'd it come from?" they looked around, Grissom and Greg were also crouched down "Anyone hurt?" Grissom asked his entire team but after a brief check they realized no one had been hit, it had been close but no one had taken a shot. "Maybe it's some asshole out shooting off for the New Year?" Rick could only surmise as both he and Nick holstered their weapons "You guys are carrying to a party?" Grissom looked a bit surprised. "You're not?" Catherine reluctantly pulled out of Rick's arms and started to stand up. "You too?" he looked at the red haired beauty "All the time" Sara turned to Nick "Thanks for coming to my rescue" she barely saw the wink in the darkness but that smile was hard to miss "Anytime Darlin" he drawled. Catherine lifted the hem of her dress and stuck her own gun back into the thigh holster she was wearing then caught all four men staring at her "Yes?" she stood upright and came face to face with Greg and Grissom. The younger CSI was the first to turn away "What I wouldn't give to be the one to frisk her" he covered his mouth and thought it came out as a mumble but everyone heard him clearly "You were saying Greg?" Sara figured she would play into with him. "Ugh, nothing…nothing" he looked at Grissom or Nick to rescue him but was met with snickers and shrugs.

"Maybe we should have a look around?" Nick remembered his conversation with Sara and was beginning to believe her feelings that something wasn't right. "Can't hurt" Warrick looked to his boss for confirmation "Catherine and Rick" they nodded and took off in the direction he'd motioned to with a slight tilt of his head "Nick you and Sara have a look around upstairs" he turned to Greg knowing that the younger man was waiting for his orders "You're with me, neither of us have weapons so we'll stay where we are" he felt the disappointment emanating from Greg "Sorry, but you don't qualify for weapons until you're CSI level 2 Greg, you know the rules" the younger man nodded. "Gil…Grissom" he hesitated, still not comfortable with calling him by his first name "Do you think it's anything?" he stood, hands shoved into the pocket of his rented tuxedo "Maybe Ricks' right?" he hoped "Greg, one shouldn't assume the first thing that comes to mind" he decided to try to lighten the mood "Take your hair for instance" he Greg shoot him a nervous look "On most days, one would safely assume that you do not own a comb" he held back the snicker he felt building as Greg's hand shot upward "Tonight however, one would assume it will take gale force winds to move a single strand out of place" Greg tried desperately to make sure none of his super gelled hair had moved "Relax Greg, your hair is fine" he turned toward the sound of approaching footstep. "All clear" Catherine and Rick returned first "How about upstairs?" Rick's eyes shot up to the deck above them. "Nick and Sara took that area, so far they haven't returned" but they quickly joined the group. "Nothing, Rick's first thought was probably on the money" Sara sighed nervously "I could use a drink" she caught the shocked look from Grissom "I am at a party Griss" she took Nick by the hand "I'm going inside, I've had enough excitement for awhile" Nick shrugged and followed her inside without and argument.

On shore, the radio activity increased "Which one of you assholes just shot off your weapon?" but the replies back confirmed that while they'd used the recent gunshot to decrease the distance from their motor crafts to the paddleboat, none would admit to it being them. "I'm telling you, this needs to go off without a hitch, we do have people to answer to" the leader hissed into the radio. They all did radio check then they sat in wait riding out the gentle wake of the paddleboats as it slowly glided thru the water. The closest man checked to see if anyone on deck was growing suspicious. From his vantage point he could make out five people out in the open huddled together but their whispered tones made it hard to hear what they were saying. Because of his proximity, he was unable to do more than flash his light once and hope no one because aware of it. He waited in the darkness and saw the band of people return to the ballroom heaved a sigh of relief and waited for further orders.

"I might have to agree with Warrick, it might have been nothing more than someone starting the New Year a bit early" Grissom checked his watch and realized they still had several hours before the start of another year. "Probably" Catherine agreed as she straightened her dress. "Let's just go back inside and enjoy ourselves" she walked ahead of him and made a bee line for the bar.

When they entered the ballroom, Nick was glad they were playing a slow song, one by Roberta Flack. Something about the first time ever seeing someone's face and he stopped Sara from making her way to the bar "How about a dance first?" he spun her toward himself and pulled her into an embrace as he maneuvered both of them toward the beautiful oak dance floor, Sara looked stunned but followed his lead as she felt her body pressed against him in all the right spots "Why Mr. Stokes, I didn't know you could dance?" she looked into is brown eyes and they reminded her of liquid pools of caramel "Miss Sidel, I'm just full of surprises" he spun her around twirling her first away from himself and then just as quickly spinning her back into his arms where for the first time, she felt safe and warm. "Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?" again he felt her back away slightly "Ummm..No" she stammered "well, yeah you just did but..." she was rewarded by the mega watt smile that melted her inhibitions. Nick hummed along with the music "you look absolutely amazing tonight" he continued between humming to the song and talking to her "I've wanted to tell you that for a long time" he couldn't take his eyes off of her as Roberta began singing about the first time she ever kissed someone's mouth. "Ummm Nick" she looked over his shoulder and saw Grissom in conversation with Ecklie and the Mayor yet his eyes were glued to both her and Nick "Yes?" his words came out in a breathy sound causing her focus to return to his mouth. "I Ummm" she couldn't finish her sentence as Nick quickly dipped his head down and captured her lips with his own. He pulled back and sought permission to continue. "You were saying?" he smiled again before moving in for yet another kiss, this one more demanding as lips met, parted and allowed both tongues to mingle and meld in exploration. Across the dance floor, Grissom nearly chocked on his scotch and water as he watched his two CSI's.

"Gil?" Ecklie's look of concern for the choking Grissom was genuine "Are you okay?" he patted the older man on the back "Ugh…ye" _choke _"Yes" _cough_ "I'll be fine, just went down the wrong" _cough_ "down the wrong way". He bent over and caught his breath unbeknownst to the couple who were oblivious to everyone else but themselves. "Happens from time to time" he stood back up and swiped the back of his hand across his mouth then caught sight of Sara and Nick once again.

"Dam!" she heard Warrick mutter from his place beside her "What?" Catherine spun around, looked into his beautiful emerald green eyes, turned her head and followed his gaze. "Oh my God!" she shook her head "Did I just see what I think I saw?" Greg, never one to miss an opportunity laughed "Yup, Nick and Sara were sucking face" his voice carried a disappointed tone "lucky bastard" he shoved his hands back into his pants pockets "Always thought it would be me" he muttered to no one in particular not realizing that both Cath and Warrick had heard him. "You got it going on for Sara?" Rick and Catherine shared a wink and a laugh "Hey!" he sounded offended "It could have happened, it could have been good between us but now…" his thoughts hung in the air as he waved his hand an walked away.

"Nick" she whispered, head pressed against his "I think we have an audience" he opened his eyes and moved his head slightly "I don't are Sara, let them stare, they're just jealous because I'm dancing with the most beautiful woman in Vegas" he pressed his lips to her neck "Among other things" she chuckled slightly "I'm the lucky one tonight" she whispered pressing her fingers into the nape of his neck "I never thought" tears threatened to spill over "We came so close to losing you and I swore I'd never let another opportunity to tell you how I felt…" he shushed her with yet another kiss….

I apologize at the gap in my first chapters and this, started working in a new place and life changes have gotten in the way of me sitting down and letting the words spill from my head but since I have so many more ideas for even more stories…it was time to open up and let them flow…

As usual, enjoy and feel free to review…it makes the thought process that much smoother…..


	6. Chapter 6

"I guess we shouldn't be surprised" Catherine sipped her drink and moved closer to Rick who was looking around the crowded floor. "Huh?" he was distracted by the sudden return of Tina "Where the hell have you been?" she shot him a look of daggers as she suddenly noticed Catherine standing beside him "Oh, I should have figured." she placed a long nailed hand on Rick's arm "I've been looking to dance all evening and apparently MY husband is too busy?" she tried to tug him along with her toward the dance floor but stopped when she made very little progress "I'm talking Tina" his attitude was very dismissive and Catherine thought better than to allow herself to be dragged into a spat with the new Mrs. Brown "We can finish our conversation later Ric" she tipped her drink "Why not enjoy the evening with your wife" she swallowed hard a the words "I just saw Grissom and I need to catch up with him on something" she didn't even bother to say goodbye to Tina who stood with her hand on her hip waiting for Warrick to make a decision. "Fine" he just about jammed his glass on the table beside him "You wanna dance, we dance" he grabbed her arm, a little to roughly and pulled her onto the floor where he quickly spun her around nearly slamming her against himself "So dance Mrs. Brown" he dragged out her name but refused to make eye contact with her. He was steamed at her callous treatment of Catherine and more and more began to realize that he had made a mistake marrying her in the first place. "I want to dance Rick" she looked at him, stunned by the way he was man handling her "I don't want to be treated like your whore!" she tried to pull away but his arm stopped her from doing so. "I'm hoping that comment isn't what I think it is!" his eyes bore a hole through her now and she quickly decided to back off "I just don't like not getting to spend any time with my husband" she slowly ran a hand up the lapel of his tux "that's all I'm saying Honey" she tried her most soothing voice. "Tonight was about sending out the old, ya know what I'm talk'n about baby" she felt him relax as he moved around the dance floor.

Catherine finally caught up with Grissom who was still watching the Stokes and Sidle dance show. "Well at least someone's enjoying themselves" she drew in a deep breath and slowly exhaled "How about you?" Gil looked at her with something akin to surprise and jealousy "He shouldn't be acting like that" he pushed his hands into his pants pocket "It's not professional" Catherine chuckled and lifted an eyebrow in mock surprise "It's New Years Eve for God sake Gil, he's not doing a solo act out there either" she put her arm thru his linking elbows "Sara doesn't know what she wants, Nick knows that" his voice took on a cold tone and Catherine pulled him around to face her "Gil, you had your chance, for years she followed you around like a puppy, waiting for the great Gil Grissom to show even an iota of emotion or desire" she felt him start to turn but she wasn't allowing it. "You didn't, she's moved on and now you don't like it!" she summed it up in one sentence which irritated Grissom that she knew him too well. "Why Nicky?" he honestly didn't get it. "Look at them Gil, he's been through so much, she's been through a lot in her past, they're finally happy" she smiled "It was inevitable if you ask me" she slid her hand down his arm and touched his hand just inside his pocket "Come on, let's dance" his draw dropped "Sure" he let himself be led to the edge of the dance floor "What did you mean?" he asked as she pulled him closer "About?" she looked up into his eyes "You said it was inevitable?" she laughed "Ya know Gil, for a scientist, you miss so much that's right under your nose!" she laughed lightly then laid her head against his chest. Gil shook his head and continued moving both of them around the floor.

Meanwhile……………..

Out on the water, the conversation between teams started up to alleviate the boredom of waiting for their orders. "I don't get this, you have a boat load of cops, firemen and whomever else and fifteen of us are supposed to pull this off?" The younger of the two men off the starboard side asked "Hey, I do as I'm told, the Boss never let us down before has he, besides, he's got an someone inside." the younger man shook his head "But cops, firemen and Las Vegas Crime Scene, who pissed in his cheerios?" he honestly didn't like the odds he felt were stacked against them. "Look, the Boss never did get over his son's death" the older man started in "Johnny's death was no accident but Conrad Ecklie made sure that the Mayor's ass was covered by sweeping the entire incident under the rug!" he had worked for years with the Boss and remembered the angry outburst when it was announced that Johnny Desoto's murder was going unsolved and had been filed away like he'd been nothing more than some two bit bum. "I swear on his grave" the father had announced that anyone and everyone that remotely touched this case would pay!" he remembered seeing the bronze Remington statue fly past his head and shatter the beautiful ornate marble fireplace mantel. "I want the names of everyone that had anything" he continued "and I mean anything to do with my Son's case, I don't care if it was the cleaning lady or some dumb ass rookie, I want their names and I want them to pay!" he had turned in the burgundy leather chair and dismissed everyone that was present with the exception of the tall leggy blonde knelt beside his chair. "Uncle Ramón" she touched his cheek lightly "you need to calm down" she tried to hand him a glass of water but he quickly slapped it out of her hand "Sophia, you don't understand…………." He looked away from her "I know some of them are your friends and colleagues but family loyalty" she walked away before he could finish.


	7. Chapter 7

Once again, I do not own CSI in any way shape of form but I'm certainly not minding borrowing all the characters for my story...Enjoy

The first thing that Catherine and Gil noticed was the grand entrance that Sophia made as she came through the ballroom doorway, sapphire blue dress flowing like a cloud around her. The second was how familiar the captain of the ship seemed to be with her as the slightly paunchy older man blatantly wrapped his arm around her in an all too personal embrace. She didn't seem to mind as he leaned in kissing first her left then right side of her face and whispering something that made her laugh. Sophia seemed both comfortable and content in his embrace as he maneuvered her around to introduce her to some of the crew. "Strange" Gil looked at Cath, "not the kind of person I would have thought Sophia would have been interested in" he directed Catherine toward the bar for yet another cocktail. "Seems odd that she seems to know him so well, you'd think royalty had entered the way the crew is fawning over her" they kept a watchful eye on the group across the floor. "Well, she certainly does seem to know him" he thanked the bartender for his drink, tossed a single into the tip jar and started to walk toward the doorway that Sophia had just come in to get some fresh air.

"Hey, what's up with her?" Greg joined both Gil and Catherine as they neared the door. "What do you mean Greg" Grissom turned giving him one of his usual puzzled looks "Sophia, she looks like she just joined a family reunion" he quickly realized that he was striking out with ladies tonight, first Sara and now Sophia had her arms around the neck of someone that could have been her father, or uncle at the very least. "Ya know, that's exactly what I was thinking" Warrick had shown up out of nowhere.

Nick and Sara took a break from the dance floor and quietly walked arm and arm toward the outside deck "Let's go upstairs" he suddenly reminded her of a school boy on prom night "We can be alone" his eyebrows wiggling as he broke into a smile then he gently yanked her arm toward the stairway "Don't you think they'll miss us?" she couldn't explain the sudden appearance of nerves as her stomach dealt with something more than butterflies. "The hell with them!" he chuckled "a few more drinks and they won't even notice the person standing next to them" he waited for her response. "Maybe we should tell them where we are just in case they …" but she didn't get a chance to finish as Nick bent down, grabbed her around the waist and flipped her over his shoulder. "Not tonight Sara, no one needs to bother us for awhile" he laughed to himself as he began to ascend the stairway leading to the second deck. "Nick! Nicholas Stokes you put me down right now!" she slapped half heartedly at his back and shoulders while kicking her feet "Put me down you…you Neanderthal!" she started laughing with him. He wasn't going to be dissuaded this time. It had taken five years and several unfortunate instances of almost losing his life for him to realize that he wasn't going to waste another opportunity to tell Sara how much he loved, '_I love her_' he thought, there, plain and simple was the sum of all the feelings he'd been holding inside, he was in love with her, he had been for a long time and decided tonight would be when he finally told her.

When he got to the second floor, he gently sat her down on the railing, stood close to her while placing a hand on each side of her hip to steady her. "Stokes, just what the hell are you doing?" she didn't know if she should be angry or if this was some kind of joke but she was going to find out. "I'm kissing the prettiest girl at the dance" he reached up, took her face in his hands and kissed her first ever so lightly, just a brush of lips against lips then more demanding, his tongue demanding permission to seek the warmth moist cavern of her mouth. He let her go and she had to steady herself by putting her arms around his neck "You're insane Nick, you're mad!" she smiled "Yeah Sar, I'm mad, I'm madly in love with you…." He saw the stunned look on her face as her jaw dropped open and her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh Nick" she looked at him, "Nicky…." She saw him close his eyes and waited "Say it again Sar…say my name" he loved the way is flowed off her lips, the breathy sound as she whispered his name "Nick" she sighed and he wondered if he had blown it. "How can you love me?" she waited for his eyes to open and when they did, she was surprised again how dark they were. "How can I not?" he took her hands in his and brought them to his lips "I've known it since the first time you flirted with me" she looked stunned "I didn't" she shot him a look "I did not flirt with you Stokes!" her voice grew a little louder "Yeah you did, in fact I had to tell you to stop" he kissed the back of her hand and then placed a more thorough kiss in her palms. "But you couldn't help yourself…I understand that" he knew that he was pushing the right buttons as she coughed and cleared her throat "As I remember it Nicholas Stokes, you flirted with anything with breasts" she was laughing as she said it and was rewarded with a shocked look from Nick "Excuse me?" he shook his head "I resent that?" he smiled back loving the gentle banter "I love you Sara Sidle, I have for a long time, it just took me forever to be able to tell you that, but if you still have a thing…" She shut him up with a kiss "I'm only going to say this one time Nick Stokes…yes there was a time I was in love with Gil Grissom but that was the past" he looked up, tears just barely hanging there "And now?" he was afraid of the answer. "I'm not in love with Gil" she looked at him, knowing what he wanted her to say but she was afraid. "But you're not in love with me either, are you?" he stepped back looking disappointed "Nick wait…" she held onto his shoulders "I love you Nick, honestly I do…." He shook his head "But not like" he didn't know how to phrase it "Not like boyfriend or girlfriend?" he pulled back from her. "I'm just afraid Nick, that's all" she wanted him to understand that until now, no one had ever loved her back...all the effort had been one sided and many times, what she mistook for love was an infatuation or fear of being alone and wound up with her getting hurt. "I won't hurt you Sar, never" he looked into her eyes. "I'm not like the others" he wanted her to believe him "I..." but he didn't get a chance to finish when something seemed to bob in the water about 20 - 35 yards from the paddle boat.

Something in the water caught his eye but because of the darkness, he didn't know if he was imagining things or if there really was something out there….he shook his head and Sara started to turn but he stopped her, blinked a few more times and leaned in as if to kiss her "What in the hell?" he whispered keeping her from turning around suddenly "Sara, don't turn around, wrap your arms around me and slide off the banister" she thought he was joking but something about his stance or the tone of his voice told her to do as she was told "What's going on?" she straightened her spine and slid down to stand between him and the railing and for the briefest of moments, they both realized that Nick really did have feelings for her but now was not the time to explore them further "When I spin you around like we're dancing, laugh like you're having a good time, I'm going to pull you back into my arms, look over my shoulder and tell me what you see?" He stepped back, took her hand and true to his word, spun her first away and then back toward him, turning so that he now had his back to the darkness of the water and she was facing outward "Nick…I don't" but when she stopped he knew that it had not been his imagination "I see something about 35 yards out" she nuzzled against him "actually, there's two of whatever is out there side by side" she moved him around and laughed turning him around again "Okay, got it" he smiled at her then turned slightly to the right and stopped once more "20 yard to the right…two more" he danced her around singing loud enough that if anyone was paying them any attention, they would think it was nothing more than some couple enjoying the evening. "It was Christmas in Las Vegas" he turned her again "Nick, there's more of them 20 yards further still" she was starting to get that bad feeling again!


	8. Chapter 8

I hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it…..once again, Thanks to the producers of such a wonderful show for allowing me to 'borrow' their characters…now if only they'd let me borrow one of the actors..but anyway, enjoy….more to come and please….don't forget to review, add ideas or help out in any way you can…..

"Look at them crazy fools" the older man snickered in the darkness, his wave runner bobbing slightly in the wake of the paddle boat. "Young love, how precious is that?" he thought back to the life he led before everything had changed. "Ah Geo, if I didn't know better I'd think ya was jealous" the younger man teased. "Am not!" he covered his mouth to suppress the cough that threatened to start up again. "Your generation, ya don't know how to treat a lady proper" he sighed "Them up there, they think they're in love, look at them dancing and there ain't no music" he remembered the old days, nights spent doing up the town at the Desert Inn, listening to the newest bands in town, dancing with the lovely, auburn hair, crimsoned lipped Lola Carlucci, the love of his life.

Hadn't take much to convince her to marry him, stars in her eyes when she found out they'd be living in Vegas but he was happy and he did everything he could to make her proud of him including joining the family, that was her idea and something he had at first fought vehemently against. "It ain't no good Lola, I'm not like them" he reminisced about the conversations that led to the life he now lived. "Once you join Geo, you got it good, nice house, nice living" he shook his head "At what cost Lola?" it had been the one thing that they had fought over until the day he came home, found her gone and only a note taped to the bathroom mirror. "_Family Geo, it's them and me or nothing, ya know where to find me when ya decide!" _It didn't take him long to board the next flight to the Bronx where he made peace with her father and swore his undying love to her family.

The life he was forced into paid for the beautiful 10 room mansion that Lola had laid eyes on the first weekend back from the reunion "It's perfect Geo, it's where I was born to live., a real Lady of the Manor!" she slowly walked down once side of the double wrap around staircase, much like some starlet in a movie. "Papa said all ya had to do was say the word and it was ours, it's our wedding gift from the Carlucci family" she waited mid step for him to make another decision that didn't sit well in his gut "Fine, fine, whatever Lola wants, Lola gets" she slid down the banister, right into his arms with a squeal of delight "Really? Really Geo?" she hugged him tight and kissed him "You won't regret it, I'll make this a real home for us" she smiled and then ran off to explore more of the empty rooms.

True to her word, she had loved the house from the day they signed to the day she died, cancer taking the only woman that Geo could ever or would ever love. In between, they'd managed to raise 5 beautiful children, 3 girls and two fine strapping sons that Geo tried his best to keep out of the 'family business', he'd succeeded with his oldest boy who was a CPA with one of the biggest companies on the east coast but his youngest son Greg was the one person he was unable to sway in his opinion of what his life was really like. Yes, that's what love had brought to his life.

The younger man had only worked with Geo for a little over a year and a half. He'd met his youngest daughter during a family picnic and had quickly impressed her father with his total devotion and love for his daughter. He only brought him into the family when the younger man's dreams and schemes failed to pan out and Geo realized that what his daughter deserved, the life she'd been raise in wasn't what the younger man could provide on his own. He'd quickly moved up in the ranks because of his dedication to his job, lack of fear and unfailing loyalty when it came time to follow orders. He was one of the 'old school family member' who asked no questions, did as he was instructed and kept his mouth shut and for this he was widely admired throughout the entire family. Tonight however was another matter. For some reason, he was having second thought about taking on a boat load of law enforcement officers and couldn't see the reasoning no matter how hard he tried. He thought better of questioning Geo in this regard and silently went back to watching the young couple on the second deck and thinking about what lay ahead.

"Something's up Nick, I just know it" she whispered as he sang some goofy song about "Christmas in Las Vegas" she'd have to ask him about that one later but for now, they'd waltzed and spun around the entire upper deck and were now fully aware that whatever or whomever was out on the water, they sat 30 to 35 yards out at 20 yard intervals, two persons per 'area'. "We've got to get back down and tell Grissom" he agreed with a slight nod "Follow my lead" she whispered then pulled back and gave him an angry glare "What? How dare you, you son of a bitch!" she reached out and slapped him, noticed the stunned look on his face then turned and ran in the direction of the staircase. Nick was flabbergasted at the slap he'd just received and it took a moment for him to recover and go after her "Sara….Sara wait!" he hurried in the direction in which she had fled only to be stopped by two men in black uniforms. Sara made it down to the lower deck and back into the ballroom before she realized that Nick was not behind her. "Where you think you're going?" the taller of the two stepped into his path "Excuse me but this doesn't concern you" he played along knowing there was no way he could get to his weapon and hoping they fell for his charade. He tried to bypass the shorter of the two but was rewarded with a rather large hand pressed against his chest. "Looks like the lady wants to be left alone!" Nick noticed that neither was dressed in the uniform in accordance with the other staff members. "Look" he threw his hands in the air in mock exasperation "I'm not looking for any trouble, I just want to apologize to my girlfriend" he started to attempt another pass but was stopped by both men blocking his path. "Why don't you take a few minutes and cool down, you look pretty heated up" the accent carried a thick Bronx sound to it.

"Look man" Nick continued trying to play it cool, "ya know how emotional women get" the two exchanged glances betwen themthen nodded in unison "I simply asked her to postpone our wedding date, she gets all hot and bothered, I say a few things I probably shouldn't have said, so she slaps me, if I'd have known she was gonna get that upset" he rolled his eyes for emphasis "So you see, I gotta go apologize before she runs off to some of her friends, tells them what happened, next thing ya know, they're telling her what an asshole I am" he sighed "then the whole family will come down on me" the shorter man looked up to the taller "Whatdaya think Carlos?" the taller man gave him a look and turned back to Nick "Fine, New Years eve should be about lovin not war" he smiled and quickly dismissed Nick hoping perhaps the young man hadn't caught his name.

Nick hurried down the stairs without so much as a backwards glance and nearly ran into Grissom and a very terrified looking Sarah "Nick, where the hell were you?" she reached out and touched his arm just to reassure herself he was actually standing before her "Two goons stopped me, dressed in black, definitely out of place" he looked at Sara and rubbed the side of his face where it still stung "Took our little spat to heart and were apparently going to protect your honor" Grissom shot Nick and then Sara a quizzical look. "Anyway, did Sara tell you what we saw?" he pushed both Sara and Grissom back toward the ballroom doorway and out of earshot of the two men upstairs. "Yeah, we were just coming to find you and see what else was going on" he nodded "Warrick and Cath are taking a look around the other side and Greg is off trying to find Ecklie and the Mayor" he shook his head. "What's this about a spat?" he put his hand on his hip "Laurel and Hardy up there thought we had a lovers quarrel" he looked at Sara "apparently the slap was pretty damned convincing" he smiled but still rubbed at his cheek which in this light held a pretty red mark on it "Hell, even I was surprised for a minute" she smiled at him "Sorry Nick, good thing I can act huh?"


	9. Chapter 9

AN: I apologize for the gap between chapters but life has a way of catching you off guard and I've been dealing with an Uncle that has had multiple strokes, two heart attacks in the last weeks, and to top it off, tonight the hospital managed to 'lose' him without telling us they'd shipped him off to the nursing home that he'll be in till he relearns to eat and swallow on his own...please keep him in your prayers...enjoy the story and I promise, I'll post as often as I can.

She reached out and touched his arm the moment Grissom stepped away "Nick, look" she swallowed hard "I didn't mean to, I'm sorry…I" she stammered "I didn't mean to hit you so hard" her hand moved up toward the side of his face where it still stung. "S'okay Sara" his hand covered hers "at least I don't have to worry about whether or not you can take care of yourself" he smiled reassuringly. He squeezed her hand gently then slowly released it as Grissom returned "Okay, here's what we know" he waited until he had everyone's attention. "For some reason we're surrounded, my guess, besides the two that Nick and Sara saw, there are probably others already on board" he lowered his voice "What we don't know is why" and that rankled him to the bone. "I think I'm safe in assuming that at least half the cops here will have come armed so whomever is behind this has to know there's going to be a show down when this takes place" he felt the wheels in his mind rolling at double speed "my guess, they're either bringing weapons or they've already stowed them away on board and I don't think we're going to get much of a chance to find them. He knew immediately that the odds were already stacked against this going down without massive bloodshed and a multitude of wounded or worse.

"Gris, we could try to warn everyone" Warrick began as he stood protectively behind Catherine. "And start mass hysteria?" Catherine turned and looked up wide doe-like eyes staring at him "Look" Grissom interrupted, "we don't know what their intentions are or when this is going down but something tells me we won't get thru half the crowd. "Unless we broadcast over the loudspeaker" Greg's hand shot up in the air but just as quickly dropped as five sets of eyes turned on him like he was completely insane "Again, that would only cause mass hysteria and a good portion of Las Vegas' Finest have probably already tipped a few" Sara kind of snickered when she said that knowing her history with liquor. "Not to mention we'd be tipping our hands to anyone planted in the crowd" Nick reminded them.

"We need to find Ecklie, the Mayor and the Chief of Police first" Grissom turned toward the group. Sara looked at Nick as if she was about to say something when he shook his head "I know this goes totally against protocol Gris but in all honesty, we're the only ones that know what's coming down right now and we can't all be caught together" his eyes locked with the older man's "Your suggestion Nicky?" he was letting the younger man play this out. "We send Greg" who turned to him, jaw dropped to protest "just hear me out" Nick put his hands up to avoid confrontation. "Greg can find Ecklie, The Mayor and the Chief" again he saw Greg start to open his mouth "Do you have a gun on you Greggo?" he turned, hands on his hips in the ever defiant Nick Stokes mode. Greg shook his head "Didn't think so" he turned back to the team.

"We split into teams and settle in somewhere and have anyone that can see and shoot straight do the same" Grissom nodded but turned as Sara shook her head "Problem Sara?" she stepped between Nick so she could be heard "I think we should split up" she turned feeling Nick's eye bore into her head "Bad idea Sar" he shrugged in apology then continued "Greg doesn't have a weapon, if God forbid it goes down before we have back up, we won't lose leverage" he turned to apologize to Greg since he knew it didn't come out right . "Greggo, not that you're not an important part of the team but right now, we need all the guns we can muster and we can't afford to lose a single one" Greg nodded and smiled "Guess I'm your Go-To-Guy" he tried to lighten the mood. Once again Sara moved forward "If we split up, we have a better chance" Nick was already shaking his head as was Grissom "If we break off in teams, we have each other's backs" he corrected her and saw her feet splay, hands on her hips as she moved up toe to toe "So, I have Nick's back, Catherine has Warrick's back ….just who has yours?" she hadn't seen Jim Brass come looking for his friends. "Look Sara" Grissom touched her shoulder "I'm not questioning anyone's abilities tonight" he spoke softly "but right now I happen to agree with Nick" she wiped her lips against the back of her hand. Your point is valid but in this case, I agree that teamwork is of the utmost importance and it's better if we know someone as our backs. She stood where she had planted her feet. "And again I ask you Grissom, who'll have yours?" Jim Brass coughed then finally spoke up "Who needs to have who's back?" he was a little stunned as everyone motioned for him to lower his voice.

"Nick and Sara noticed something off the starboard side" Grissom whispered "Nick already had one run in with two thugs that are somewhere up there" he motioned to the second deck "Something's going down, we're surrounded by teams on wave runners" he saw Jim looking around "Trust me Jim, Catherine and Ric have already confirmed this" he knew they had precious little time before something took place. "Greg's going to find Ecklie, the Chief and the Mayor and tell them what we know" he swallowed "we'll need as many armed cops as we can get" Jim chuckled but stopped at the confused look on Gil Grissom's face "Gil, this was a party, how much do you think most of them" he motioned back toward the ballroom "already had to drink tonight?" Gil took a deep breath "Forewarned is Forearmed Jim" Catherine hesitated wondering just who quoted that one. "I'd rather take my chances and warn as many of them as we possibly can without causing a riot then to let this play out without trying" Jim knew he was right.

"What do you want me to tell them?" Greg interjected and waited on his boss for further instructions "Just tell them what we already know, tell them Jim and I will be down here on the starboard side" he turned to Nick and Sara "You two, get back upstairs and try to find somewhere to lay low till this goes down" he looked to Cath and Ric "you two, take the Port side, find a safe place and we wait to see what happens" he felt in his gut the outcome couldn't be good. "All of you, be careful, we still don't know what or who we're dealing with" Greg turned to leave then quickly turned back "If anything does go down guys, watch your backs" he winked at Catherine and Sara, patted Nick and Warrick and was about to do the same to Grissom when he thought better of it and waved as he quickly disappeared into the ballroom.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Once again…the usual: I still don't own CSI or it would go on till the team was investigating their own members in a nursing home….(only kidding) but we all know that we don't own them…but oh…for one day with Nicky…..Enough..on with the show!

Immediately after leaving the team, Greg quickly entered the brightly lit ballroom and began his search for one or all of the three people he'd been sent to find. Luck was not with him tonight as he very swiftly noticed that all three were on opposite sides of the enormous room that was now filled with women in brightly colored gowns and men dressed to the nines in black tuxedoes, '_March of The Penguins come alive_' quickly filled his mind and he had to pause long enough to shake the thought from his head as he debated for only a moment then began making his way toward the most logical choice Conrad Ecklie.

During the entire time it took Greg to make his way across the room, he contemplated how best to phrase what needed to be said to the head of CSI. "We're surrounded, run for you lives!" Nah! Too dramatic, besides, where do you run to in the middle of a lake? He chuckled to himself as he twisted and turned thru the maze of gathered people lingering around him. "Everyone with a gun please step front and center!" Hell no, Grissom would surely have his head, even if he thought it would be the most effective means to get everyone's attention. "Sing or swim, every man for themselves" thought after thought easily invaded his mind only to just as quickly be dismissed for obvious reasons, then he started to wonder as he neared the spot where Conrad Ecklie seemed to be entertaining a small flock of '_penguins_' people, he corrected himself yet again. "Do paddle-wheeled boats carry life rafts? How deep is Lake Mead really? Can I swim that far if I have to? Will I make over the edge before the shit hits the fan?" he found himself mumbling incoherently as he ran smack into Conrad.

His momentum suddenly stalled, he too late realized that the impact was now causing the domino effect to take place as Conrad's elbow made contact with the lady beside him causing her to spill her fruity cocktail down the front of her exquisitely sequined gown. "Oh my….." he muttered "I'm terribly sorry….so terribly sorry" his hand involuntarily shot forward but stopped short of making contact with the woman's now damp bosom. He realized it wouldn't look too appropriate to be fondling a stranger's breast while her husband was standing directly beside her doing his best to dab at the spot with a napkin that shredded more and more with as it caught up in the hard plastic edging of the sequins. "I'm sorry lady, I really am" he turned to a now fuchsia red faced Conrad Ecklie who suddenly was at a loss for words. "I…Conrad" he stuttered, stepped back and motioned for his boss to follow him. "I need to talk to you Ecklie" he turned an apologetic eye to the woman then just as suddenly back to Conrad. Ecklie started to pull back from the hand that now encompassed his wrist "NOW!" Greg demanded even more fervently, he knew time was of the utmost essence.

"Dam you Sanders, this had better be important!" he wailed as he turned to offer a last apology then simply allowed himself to be led away by the youngest CSI. "I don't know how Grissom deals with………" Greg turned to say something as they made their way out of the ballroom but was silenced as Gil Grissom showed up in the shadows along side Jim Brass. "Good job Greg, now go find the Mayor and the Chief" he turned his attention to Ecklie. "Listen Gil, I put up with an awful lot from your people but…." Grissom shot him a look of daggers "Conrad, just can it!" his tone told the younger man that Grissom wasn't in the mood for a rebuke right now. Ecklie merely pointed in the direction from which he had just come. "We've got a situation going on here Ecklie..." Grissom stepped toe to toe with his boss. "No kidding!" Conrad was spitting fire now "Greg Sanders just made an ass out of not only himself but me by spilling a cocktail on the Police Chief's Mother-in-Law's dress!" his tone was that of someone that had been offended greatly but Gil was having none of it at the moment. "Tell her to send us the cleaning bill!" Ecklie was astounded that Gil Grissom could not seem to share his obvious embarrassment. Grissom was quickly losing patience with his boss.

Conrad stood there, hands on his hips as he contemplated his next move. "Gil, you don't seem …." But Grissom's raised hand just as efficiently silenced him "Ecklie look, I'm sorry we pulled you away from your party, I'm sorry if one of my people caused you a moment of embarrassment but right now we have a situation threatening to escalate at any moment and we need to deal with that, not some overly made up middle aged woman who probably had no business pouring herself into a too small gown to begin with." He knew he was pushing the envelope when he heard Brass chuckle but just as quickly realized he had little choice to get his point across. "What situation Gil?" he huffed in a deep breath then waited for the older man to continue. "Apparently, we're surrounded" he saw the taller man's look of confusion cross his features and continued "Not long ago, Nick and Sarah noticed something or someone off the bow of this boat" his tone softened as his voice lowered to a muted whisper "upon further investigation, it's become apparent that not only are there teams of two at 20 yard intervals, but there are at the least two others already on board" he took a breath "Nick already had a run in with the two onboard and we know they're somewhere upstairs" he motioned above his head "Sara and Nick are on their way up to find a place to lay low" he waited for his boss to absorb what he'd already told him. "Catherine and Ric have the starboard side covered for the moment".

Conrad swallowed "Grissom, this is ludicrous, why would anyone risk taking on a boat full of cops?" he saw that Gil was serious and waited for the older man to offer any suggestions "I know and considering that this entire event has been publicized on every news channel in the state of Nevada, it's not like they'd expect to pull this off without massive casualties" he felt his blood pressure beginning to rise with each passing moment. "Greg was supposed to get you, the Chief and the Mayor so we can figure out the best way to handle this" he paused "I know my entire team with the exception of Sanders is armed but I seriously doubt their weapons are going to be any match for whatever lies ahead." His head began the steady drumming he knew meant a headache was imminent. "Perhaps we could call all the armed officers together?" Ecklie swallowed and offered hopefully only to be met with the shaking of Jim's head "No can do Conrad, they already have two onboard, my guess" he coughed slightly; "there are more and most likely, weapons to arm themselves" he now stood directly beside Grissom. "We have to warn as many as we can, but do it as quickly and as quietly as we can or I can just imagine the mass hysteria" he sighed realizing that what they were saying would do little in the long run.

"We were told you were looking for us?" the soft voice of the Mayor filled the air as he and the Chief joined the three already on the outside deck. "This had better be good, I just interrupted the people paying for this…" he stopped when he saw the sullen features of them men before him… "We have a situation……." Was all that Conrad got out before all hell seemed to break loose!

Well, sorry about the delay again…still making arrangement for my uncle and trying to sort out how I want this to go down…..thanks for all the wonderful reviews and well wishes…they're deeply appreciated….


	11. Chapter 11

Once again, I don't own them., I only borrow them, and if you're going to sue me...well...maybe I'll get to meet George in court...(only kidding)..but thanks for letting me share my vivid imagination anyway.

Thank you all for the reviews, they mean a lot to me (especially right now with all the not so fun stuff going on with my Uncle...thanks for the well wishes from those of you sweet enough to contact me with support and hope...

Now Enjoy!

A banshee screech cut thru the evening air, a glass shattering, and ear piercing wail that even Gil Grissom would have heard back in the days when his hearing was failing him. "My necklace, my beautiful diamond necklace, it's missing!" came the shrill voice of the woman now standing center stage clutching her ample chest. "It was here, now it's missing, someone has stolen my necklace" she carried on hysterically, tears spilled down rose colored cheeks dragging tracks of obviously non-waterproof mascara with them. "My beautiful necklace, it's gone!" her cries were now magnified by the microphone on the podium. "How could this happen?" she looked over the crowd as if the thief would magically reappear, full of remorse and hand over the ill gotten booty.

"Aren't you going to do something?" Ecklie shot the question to a slightly bemused Jim Brass "You're a damned detective for cripes sake!" came the astounded utterance from Conrad's gaping mouth "get in there and help them look for the frigg'n necklace!" but Jim Brass stood his ground and shook his head "Ecklie, right now I think we have more important things to deal with then some dimwit losing her necklace." He looked at Grissom for back up. "We could use this to our advantage" Gil pondered for a moment, rubbing at his beard. "Mayor, you could go in, ask for the officers to come out here under the guise of conducting a search, getting only the armed ones will be a little more complicated without tipping our hand" he continued. "It just might work" the Mayor quickly agreed. "We certainly can't stand here doing nothing" Jim Brass added as the Mayor shook his head, straightened his tux before adding "Jim maybe you should join me up there, it might not look suspicious if you call for the officers to join us" but Brass was shaking his head "Sorry Mayor but after the shooting incident, I have a hard time believing most of them" he motioned to the crowd "will want to listen to anything I have to say" his face told everything that his voice did not.

"Could this night get any better?" The Mayor ran a hand thru hair that was threatening to either turn grey or fall out any minute. He glanced at Gil and Conrad with a total look of utter despair before heading up to the podium where a crowd had gathered around, looking at each other with reproachful gazes. "Everyone please, calm down, calm down" the Mayor moved steadily toward the podium "I'm sure there's a logical explanation for this." He continued hoping that he was right. "Has anyone seen this missing bauble?" he adjusted the microphone and leaned wearily over the oak stand. "Logical?" the woman turned to him, face fraught with anger "Logical you say?" she moved closer yet "Someone stole my necklace, a small fortune in diamonds and you want logic?" she continued casting caustic glances over the crowd "There's a thief among us and you Mr. Mayor had better do something about it now!" a new onslaught of tears and wailing could be heard throughout the vast room.

"We don't know if it's actually been stolen" the mayor proffered "Would everyone please calm down and listen to me" he stood erect and straightened his tuxedo jacket but loosened the tie that threatened to asphyxiate him. "I assure you Mildred, I'll do everything in my power to get to the bottom of this" he turned first to the woman then back to the crowd. "I would appreciate if all of Las Vegas' Finest would gather on the deck so that we can begin a search" he figured this might just be the opportunity they needed to gather reinforcements. "Ladies, gentlemen, if the rest of you would be so kind as to leave the ballroom and gather in the dining room, your continued cooperation would be greatly appreciated and perhaps expedite our search for Mildred's necklace. He saw confusion on the faces of everyone in the room "Please, could we do this as quickly and judiciously as possible, I as well as yourselves would like to get back to the party as quickly as possible but right now, we're asking for everyone that is not a law officer to leave the room…Thank you!" he moved off the stage leaving a confused and still bawling Mildred Steiner standing there holding onto her ever reddening neck.

"Brilliant" Grissom smiled slightly as he watched part of the crowd head off to the dining room while many of the police officers he worked with on a daily basis moved out to join the Mayor, Brass and himself on the outside deck. "What the hell is this all about?" one slightly overweight and nearing retirement aged officer shouted at the mayor. "When everyone's assembled, we'll discuss this" the Mayor quickly offered. "Come on! This is supposed to be a New Years Eve party, a celebration for God's sake!" another office bellowed but dared not show his face. Yet another one, probably someone that had already drank more than their fill added their two cents. "What the hell is going on?" The Mayor walked to the front of the crowd and once again joined his three friends "I'd like a show of hands" his voice grew fainter as to not be heard from anyone that might simply be a plant in the crowd "of any officers that came armed tonight" he saw the crowd sharing mystified looks at their neighbors. "What the hell is this Romper Room?" another bellow could be heard.

"Okay Brass, just what the hell is going on?" one detective stepped forward willing to stand toe to toe with Brass "Are you checking to see if we've had a few too many?" Jim laughed, already knowing the answer but shook his head "No" he tugged impatiently at his own bow tie that was suddenly too tight. "Listen" his voice moved down an octave to a mere whisper "We have a situation brewing right now that's going to require as many guns as we can get" he felt the crowd of men and woman moved closer and just for a moment he thought of backing up for air. "Nick Stoke and Sara Sidle from the Crime Lab noticed something off the bow of this boat earlier this evening" he paused waiting to get everyone's undivided attention "Something is obviously going down tonight" he continued "Upon closer inspection, we've learned that there are teams on wave runners sitting in a perimeter of 30 to 35 yards out, teams of two, twenty yards apart" he went on. "We don't have an exact count but Nick has already had a run in with two on board so we know we've already been breeched.

He could see officers looking at officers trying to reassure themselves that anyone standing beside them was on the up and up. Gil Grissom moved forward "Considering that this party was advertised on ever news media in the Greater Las Vegas area" he cleared his throat "Whomever is behind this knows that they're taking on a boat load of law officials and my guess is they've already taken into consideration that the casualty rate is going to be high. "That's suicide!" one Police woman stepped forward and offered her opinion on the matter "Who'd be stupid enough?" Ecklie shook his head and shrugged "We don't know, all we do know is most likely, there are more of them on board so keep your eyes and ears open" he felt a knot growing where his stomach used to be "Those of you without weapons, I think it would be better for you to return to the dining room with your dates or wives" he continued "We don't know when this is supposed to go down but I for one would like to level the odds a little and get as many of you who are armed positioned around the boat in teams" he noticed no one moving "I realize you're all highly trained officers" he proffered "but you know, if you're not armed there is no sense in trying to face this threat down and we certainly don't need those that have weapons kept busy trying to protect not only their own backs but a teammates as well so if those of you that have not come with your weapons would please, return to the dining room, we can get started"…..

TBC


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